News Desk |
Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States special envoy tasked with finding a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s 17-year old war, arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for meetings with the political and military leadership about bringing the Afghan Taliban to peace talks.
Tuesday’s visit comes a day after US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking Islamabad’s “assistance and facilitation in achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
This visit comes in the wake up of increased violence in Afghanistan which has seen Afghan National Army lose ground to Taliban insurgents.
Khalilzad will also travel to Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in a stepped-up effort to find a peaceful end to the Afghan war.
“He will meet with Afghan government officials and other interested parties to support and facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan, empowering the Afghan people to decide their nation’s fate,” read a press release by the US Department of State.
Read more: Afghan Taliban attacks intensify as US peace envoy returns
This visit comes in the wake up of increased violence in Afghanistan which has seen Afghan National Army lose ground to Taliban insurgents. This visit also indicates the importance and value of Pakistan in ending almost two decade long war in Afghanistan which was occupied by US and allied forces after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The visit of the United States special envoy to Pakistan indicates US willingness to find a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war. Soon after taking office, President Trump announced his South Asia policy in which he pledged to end the Afghan war through brute force.
However, this approach backfired resulting in loses to Afghan army and civilians. Analysts opine that this new US approach will bear fruit and might finally see the end of longest war in the US history.